Sept. 1, 2013 — AOS Guidelines: Cultural Studies

Writing concentrations are competency based. In order to develop proficiency in writing, writing concentrations include the following knowledge and skills areas:

• Theory: knowledge of appropriate writing or language theory.
• History and currency: appreciation of the field through a historical perspective; knowledge of current developments in the field and knowledge of related fields relevant to and supportive of the concentration; digital literacy.
• Practice: skill development in writing, both in the concentration and in other types of writing relevant to the concentration.

Writing concentrations may be general and broadly conceptualized, or they may have a specific focus. The following samples show how writing concentrations may be focused. Keep in mind that there are many options depending on the student’s specific interests and goals.

Business/Professional Writing Focus

A business/professional writing focus should demonstrate knowledge in some of the following areas:

• Business communications, professional writing, speech writing, proposal writing, technical writing, grant writing, new media theory, writing for multicultural audiences (theory, practice).
• Designing information in written and digital formats, writing for the Web, (history/currency).

Supportive, relevant knowledge might be demonstrated in the areas of business (e.g., management, leadership, advertising, marketing communication, public relations), communications (e.g., public speaking, interpersonal and/or small group communications), media studies, arts for visual communication and/or ethics or legal issues, depending on the focus of the concentration and the student’s goals.

Creative Writing Focus

A creative writing focus should demonstrate knowledge in some of the following areas:

• Various types of creative writing (e.g., fiction, short fiction, drama, poetry, creative nonfiction, digital writing), critical interpretations of literature, work that focuses on a creative project or portfolio (theory, practice).
• Literature that spans different time periods and provides a historical perspective, digital forms of writing, creative blogging, writing for games, history of creativity (history/currency) Supportive, relevant areas of study might be in the type of literature the student wants to create, knowledge of people and time periods and/or creative writing as a profession, depending on the focus of the concentration and the student’s goals.

Expository Writing Focus

Expository writers articulate their ideas and share information for personal, public and/or academic purposes (e.g., essays, op-ed or magazine articles). Expository writing concentrations may be general or may be focused on a specific field (e.g., writing for the sciences).

An expository writing focus should demonstrate knowledge in some of the following areas:

• Different forms of expository writing (college writing, essay writing, article writing, technical writing) researching across the disciplines, advanced grammar, editing (theory, practice).
• History of the English language, the essay from its historical to its contemporary form, writing for the Web (history/currency).

Supportive, relevant knowledge might be demonstrated in the specific field of writing the student wants to pursue (e.g., sciences for science writing, studies of history and culture for travel writing, et cetera).